Feb. 7, 2002

LAS VEGAS - The Runnin' Rebels will begin the second half of the Mountain West Conference season at home as they host BYU on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7:35 p.m. PST at the Thomas & Mack Center (18,500). The game will be televised live on Las Vegas One (Cox Cable 39) in Las Vegas by SportsWest with Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler providing the commentary. The game may be heard live in Las Vegas on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com with Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick calling the action.

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Sat., Feb. 9BYU at UNLV7:35 p.m. PST

Game at Thomas & Mack Center (18,500), Las Vegas, Nev., Game televised live on Las Vegas One (Cox Cable 39) in Las Vegas by SportsWest, Game may be heard live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and worldwide on the internet at UNLVRebels.com

THE RUNNIN' REBELS

UNLV (11-8, 3-4 MWC) had won three straight before falling in overtime 84-81 at New Mexico on Tuesday. The Runnin' Rebels are 8-2 at home and 3-6 away from the Thomas & Mack Center this season. The team is under new leadership this season as Charlie Spoonhour is in his first year running the Rebel program. Dalron Johnson leads the team in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (7.2). Marcus Banks is second in scoring (15.1) and leads the team in assists (3.0). Lou Kelly is the only other Runnin' Rebel averaging double figures in scoring (13.6). Last year, the squad finished with an overall record of 16-13 and placed fourth in the Mountain West Conference with a 7-7 mark.

THE BYU COUGARS

BYU (14-6, 4-3 MWC) has won two straight games (85-70 over Wyoming and 57-52 over Colorado State). The Cougars had lost three in a row prior to their current win streak. BYU has lost its last six road games and is 12-0 at home and 1-6 on the road this season. BYU is led in scoring by 6-7 sophomore guard/forward Mark Bigelow with 16.2 ppg. 6-6 junior forward Travis Hansen is averaging 15.2 ppg and 6-9 senior forward Eric Nielsen is scoring 10.0 ppg. Hansen leads the team in rebounding with 7.1 per game. 6-0 senior guard Matt Montague leads the team in assists with 7.6 per game. Head Coach Steve Cleveland is in his fifth year at the school and overall with a career mark of 81-63 (.563). BYU was 24-9 overall last year and finished tied for first in the MWC at 10-4. The Cougars concluded their season with a NCAA Tournament first round loss to Cincinnati.

SERIES HISTORY

The all-time series with BYU is tied 6-6. BYU won 60-47 earlier this year on Jan. 15 in Provo in the last meeting. Last year, the two teams split the season series with UNLV winning 68-56 in Las Vegas on Feb. 10, 2001, and BYU winning 91-63 in Provo on Jan. 15, 2001. UNLV is 4-2 all-time vs. BYU in Las Vegas. The first-ever meeting between the two teams was on on Jan. 3, 1981 with BYU winning 92-90 in double overtime in Las Vegas. UNLV has won the last two meetings between the two teams in Las Vegas.

UP NEXT

After BYU, UNLV will host Utah in an ESPN Big Monday matchup on Feb. 11 at 9 p.m.

SCHEDULE CHANGE REMINDER

The BYU game was originally scheduled for a 12:35 p.m. start to be televised by ABC. It has been changed to a 7:35 p.m. start and will now be televised by SportsWest.

JOHNSON SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT

Dalron Johnson scored his 1,000th career point at New Mexico on Feb. 5. He has become the 30th player in Runnin' Rebel history to score at least 1,000 career points. Johnson currently has 1,004 career points. Kaspars Kambala was the last player to score 1,000 carer points at UNLV. He scored his 1,000th career point during the 1999-00 season and finished his career with 1,699. (Evric Gray, who was left out off the career scoring leaders in this year's media guide, scored 1,019 points for his career and is No. 29 on the UNLV all-time list.)

MOVIN' UP THE CHART

With 136 blocked shots for his career, Dalron Johnson is No. 5 on the all-time Runnin' Rebel blocked shot list. At BYU, Johnson blocked two shots to pass Stacey Augmon, who was previously fifth with 128. Keon Clark is No. 4 with 138.

DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK

Dalron Johnson has scored 10 or more points in 14 straight games. For the season, he has scored in double figures in 18 of 19 games.

SCORING LOU

During UNLV's longest win streak of this season (three games from Jan. 21 to Feb. 3, Lou Kelly scored 63 points for a 21.0 ppg average. He led the team in scoring in each of those games. Adding in the loss at New Mexico on Feb. 5, Kelly has averaged 19.8 ppg over his last four games.

SIX PLAYERS SCORE 10 OR MORE

UNLV had six players score in double figures in the same game for the first time this season vs. DePaul on Feb. 3. UNLV has had two other games in which it has had five players score in double figures. Five Runnin' Rebels scored 10 or more points vs. UNR and at San Diego State. UNLV has had four players score 10 or more points in the same game four other times this year.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

UNLV is 8-2 at home this year...is 9-1 when heading into the locker room ahead at halftime....is 7-0 when outrebounding its opponent...is 8-1 when recording more assists in a game than its opponent... is 6-1 when scoring 80 or more points in a game and 10-2 when scoring 70 or more...is 7-1 when it shoots a higher field goal percentage than its opponent...is 7-0 when it shoots 50 percent or better from the floor.

BLOCKED SHOTS STREAK SNAPPED

At SDSU, Dalron Johnson failed to block a shot, so his streak of blocking at least one shot in a game ended at 10 straight games. Before the UAB game he had another streak of eight straight games with at least one blocked shot. He has blocked shots in each of his last two games, so Johnson has blocked at least one shot in 20 of his last 22 games. Johnson is No. 5 on UNLV's all-time blocked shot list. Last year he blocked at least one shot in 22 of his 27 games and during his freshman year he blocked at least one shot in 21 of 31 games, so for his career he has blocked a shot in 60 of 77 games. That is 77.9 percent of the games.

20 POINT CLUB

Three Runnin' Rebels have scored 20 or more points in a game this season a combined 16 times. Marcus Banks and Dalron Johnson have each had six 20-plus point nights, while Lou Kelly has done it four times. Marcus Banks is the only Runnin' Rebel to have scored 30 or more points in a game as he scored 31 vs. Old Dominion.

STEALING THE BALL

UNLV holds a decisive advantage this year over its opponents in steals. UNLV has recorded 200 steals to its opponents' 122. That is a 10.5 to 6.4 per game average. UNLV leads the Mountain West Conference in steals this year and is recording almost two full steals more per game than Air Force, which is second with 8.7 per game.

SHOOTING 50 PERCENT

When UNLV shoots 50 percent or better from the field, it wins. The Runnin' Rebels are 7-0 in games in which they shoot over 50 percent. UNLV shot 56.4 percent vs. Wisconsin, 60.3 percent vs. Nicholls State, 52.4 percent vs. Nevada, Reno, 58.2 percent vs. Tennessee State, 52.5 percent at Air Force, 54.2 percent vs. Colorado State and 57.4 percent vs. DePaul. As a team after 19 games, UNLV is shooting 46.0 percent from the field.

BANKS WAS ON A ROLL

During a four game stretch from Dec. 20 through Dec. 30, Marcus Banks averaged 27.0 ppg, shot 58.3 (35-of-60) percent from the field and 60 (6-of-10) percent from 3-point range. In each of those four games, he set a new career-high in scoring (22, 26, 29, 31).

100 POINTS

For the fourth consecutive season, UNLV has scored 100 or more points in a game. UNLV scored 101 vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28. Last year, the Runnin' Rebels scored 100 or more points in a game three times.

RUNNIN' REBELS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST STATS

Through games of Feb. 6, UNLV leads the MWC in two team statistical categories. UNLV is No. 1 in steals with 10.53 per game and is first in turnover margin at +2.74 (UNLV's opponents turn the ball over an average of 2.74 more times per game than the Rebels). The Runnin' Rebels are third in scoring offense with 74.9 ppg and are third in blocked shots with 4.26 per game. Individually, Dalron Johnson is in the top five in the following categories: blocks (1st with 1.84 per game), steals (1st with 2.16 per game), scoring (2nd with 17.4 ppg), free throw percentage (2nd with .862) and offensive rebounds (2nd with 2.68 per game). Other Rebels in the top five are Marcus Banks (2nd in steals with 2.11 per game and Chris Richardson (T4th in field goal percentage with .551).

UNLV IS 38-7 IN LAST 45 GAMES AT THE MACK'

The Runnin' Rebels are in their 19th season in the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center. UNLV has posted an all-time record of 250-44 (.850) in the arena since it opened in 1983. This year, the Runnin' Rebels are 8-2 at home. They were 12-3 at home in 2000-01 and were 18-2 during the 1999-00 season, so UNLV has won 38 of its last 45 games at home. UNLV has been edged at home by four points or less 17 times and the 44 losses has been by an average of 7.9 points (349 total points).

LAST TIME OUT - AT NEW MEXICO (FEB. 5)

Ruben Douglas scored 29 points, including 15-for-15 at the free throw line, Tuesday night as New Mexico beat UNLV 84-81 in overtime. UNLV's Dalron Johnson, who led the Rebels with 25 points, missed a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left in the overtime. New Mexico scored 11 of its 13 points in the overtime from the free throw line, converting on 11 of 12 attempts. Douglas was 4-for-4, his last two putting the Lobos ahead to stay at 79-75 with 1:00 left. The only field goal for the Lobos in overtime came on a layup by Patrick Dennehy. New Mexico (14-7, 4-3) got double-doubles from Douglas and Dennehy and a season-high 24 points from Eric Chatfield. Douglas also had 11 rebounds, while Dennehy had 16 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the final minute of overtime. The Rebels (11-8, 3-4) forced overtime with Lou Kelly's 3-pointer with 7 seconds left. UNLV trailed 69-65 with 1:48 left, but erased the deficit with 3-pointers from Johnson and Kelly. Chatfield missed a 3-pointer with a second left in regulation. New Mexico appeared to have the game in hand with an 82-77 lead with 36.8 seconds left in overtime. But UNLV got an offensive rebound basket from Johnson and Marcus Banks hit two free throws with 14 seconds left after a New Mexico turnover. Senquee Carey then was fouled and hit two free throws - his only points of the night - with 10 seconds remaining. For the game New Mexico was 29-for-35 at the line. Both teams picked up the offensive pace in the second half after struggling through horrendous first half shooting. New Mexico led 31-29 at halftime despite shooting a season low 27 percent, while UNLV was only slightly better at 34 percent. Between them the two teams missed 50 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Banks finished with 21 points and Kelly had 16.

LAST TIME VS. BYU (PROVO - JAN. 15)

Mark Bigelow scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half in leading BYU to a 60-47 win over UNLV on Jan. 15. BYU won despite tying a season high with 20 turnovers. UNLV managed only 13 points through the first 15 minutes of the second half and its 47 points was a season low. Leading 39-37 with 7:58 to play, BYU went on a 13-4 run over the next 5:30 to take a 52-41 lead. Bigelow sparked the run with six points, including a fade-away 3-pointer that just beat the shot clock and put BYU up 10 points. BYU outscored UNLV 38-21 in the second half. Dalron Johnson led the Rebels with 18 points. UNLV came in averaging almost 10 steals per game and had 13 against BYU. However, BYU was 20-for 28 at the free-throw line, while UNLV was 5-for-8. Eric Nielsen had 11 points for BYU, which shot 43 percent. The Cougars shot below 45 percent for only the fourth time this season. BYU held UNLV to 39 percent shooting, marking the ninth time this season the Cougars have held an opponent below 40 percent. BYU was held to a season-low 22 points in the first half. It was only the second time in 15 games this season the Cougars have trailed at the half.

SPOONHOUR WINS IN 500TH GAME

UNLV Head Coach Charlie Spoonhour coached his 500th game as a Division I head coach vs. Tennessee State on Dec. 28. The win gave Spoonhour his 325th career win. Spoonhour is in his 17th season as a Division I head coach and has a career record of 330-179 (.648).

16-POINT HALFTIME DEFICIT TURNED INTO 2-POINT WIN

At Loyola Marymount, UNLV trailed by 16 points at halftime (41-25) and came back to win by two. The Runnin' Rebels shot 27.8 percent (10-of-36) from the field and 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from 3-point range in the first half. UNLV turned things around in the second half by making 10 of its first 12 field goal attempts. For the second half, the Runnin' Rebels shot 64.3 percent (18-of-28). For the game, UNLV had a season-high in steals with 16 and a then-season-low in turnovers with 12.

SECOND-HALF COMEBACK - AGAIN - BUT NOT QUITE ENOUGH

Against Texas, UNLV found itself down by 17 points at 50-33 with 14 minutes left in the game and cut the deficit to only one point (73-72) with 4:20 left. Texas, however, held on for the win.

FROM THE STRIPE

When Marcus Banks missed his fifth free throw attempt of the game vs. Wyoming on Jan. 5, his streak of 22 consecutive made free throws came to an end. He was 9-of-10 from the line vs. Tennessee State, 11-of-11 vs. Old Dominion and 5-of-9 vs. Wyoming.

FROM THE STRIPE 2

After missing his first free throw attempt of the season vs. Wisconsin, Dalron Johnson made 14 consecutive free throws. He missed his first attempt of the game at LMU, so his streak ended at 14. He is shooting free throws at 86.2 percent (50-of-58) this year. Johnson leads the team in free throw percentage. Lou Kelly is second at .795 (70-of-88).

EVERYONE SCORES THIS YEAR

Every Runnin' Rebel that has suited up for a game this season has scored at least three points.

FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Senior Chris Richardson recorded his first career double-double vs. Nevada, Reno with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

MORE DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Junior Dalron Johnson has recorded his 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th double-doubles of his career this year. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds at LMU, 19 points and 10 rebounds vs. Tennessee State, 19 points and 14 rebounds vs. Old Dominion and 25 points and 11 rebounds at New Mexico.

NICE FIRST HALF

It would be difficult to imagine Dalron Johnson having a better first half than he did against Nicholls State. Johnson was 8-of-9 from the field, 3-of-3 from 3-point range, had 19 points, 3 rebounds and an assist, a block and a turnover in 13 minutes of action. He ended up scoring a career-high 29 points for the game on 13-of-16 shooting including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also tallied 5 rebounds in a total of 19 minutes.

MARGIN OF VICTORY

UNLV's 43-point victory over Nicholls State was its largest margin of victory since defeating Sacred Heart by 47, 103-56, on Nov. 14, 1998.

MARCUS BANKS - MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - DEC. 31

Marcus Banks was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 31 after leading the Runnin' Rebels to victories over Tennessee State and Old Dominion. Banks averaged 30 points, four rebounds, five assists and 3.5 steals in two victories at the Thomas & Mack Center. He shot 64 percent from the field (18-of-28), 67 percent from 3-point range (4-of-6) and 95 percent from the free throw line (20-of-21). In the 101-83 win vs. Tennessee State, Banks scored a then career-high 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. He also had a career-high tying six assists, five rebounds and five steals in 30 minutes of action. Against Old Dominion, Banks led the Runnin' Rebels to a second-half comeback win, 84-76, with a career-high 31 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point land and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line. He also had four assists, three rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes of action. It was Banks' first player of the week honor.

DALRON JOHNSON - MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK - DEC. 17

Dalron Johnson was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 17 after posting a double-double in the Runnin' Rebels 70-68 win at Loyola Marymount. Johnson helped UNLV erase a 16-point halftime deficit and pull out a two-point victory over the Lions. He collected his first double-double of the season and the 10th of his career with 23 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 47.6 percent from the field, blocked two shots and had a career-high six steals. It was Johnson's first player of the week honor of his career.

UNLV WINS VS. MOUNTAIN WEST

The Runnin' Rebels have a .500-or-better record all-time against the other seven members of the conference. Air Force (13-1), BYU (6-6), Colorado State (14-5), New Mexico (11-9), San Diego State (22-5), Utah (10-10), Wyoming (13-9).

UNLV BOASTS BEST HOME RECORD IN MWC

Out of the eight Mountain West schools, UNLV has the best all-time winning percentage on its home court. UNLV is 250-44 (.850) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Utah is second at .823 (410-88).

IN OVERTIME

UNLV is 36-18 (.667) all-time in overtime games. UNLV is 1-1 in overtime this season, winning 80-79 win at San Diego State on Jan. 26 and losing 84-81 at New Mexico on Feb. 5. Last season, UNLV was 1-2 in overtime games. Additionally, UNLV is 29-15 in single overtime games, 5-3 in double overtime and 2-0 in triple overtime. The Runnin' Rebels have a record of 6-3 in overtime games at the Thomas & Mack Center.

HOLDEN LEAVES PROGRAM

Jamal Holden was granted a release from the UNLV men's basketball program on Dec. 18. Holden, a 6-10 center, who transferred to UNLV from Westark (Ark.) College prior to this season, had played in five games, averaging 8.0 minutes per game. He also averaged 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.

LEWIS WILL NOT PLAY THIS YEAR

Jermaine Lewis will sit out the remainder of the 2001-02 season and complete rehabilitation to return at full strength for the 2002-03 year. Lewis, a 6-4 guard from Houston, Texas, had surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in May. "We want to protect the integrity of the surgery," head coach Charlie Spoonhour said on January 9. "We want to give Jermaine the best chance to compete at 100 percent of his capabilities. He is progressing on a normal schedule for the surgery, which has a six-to-nine month complete healing period. To have him come back now would be premature." This season will count as Lewis' redshirt year and he will return to play for the 2002-03 season for his final year of eligibility.

RUNNIN' THE REBELS - CHARLIE SPOONHOUR

UNLV has a new head coach this year. Charlie Spoonhour became the 12th head coach in Runnin' Rebel history on March 29. He came to UNLV after spending two years out of coaching, but he didn't stray too far away from the game as he served in the media as an analyst on college basketball broadcasts. Prior to that he was the head coach at Saint Louis University for seven years. Before SLU, Spoonhour was head coach at Southwest Missouri State University for nine seasons. He has a 17-year Division I head coaching record of 330-179 (.648) and has led 11 teams to the postseason, including eight to the NCAA Tournament.

THE REST OF THE STAFF

UNLV also has three new assistant coaches. They are Deane Martin, Jay Spoonhour and Derek Thomas. UNLV has retained Dave Rice, who will serve this season as Director of Basketball Operations. Rice is in his ninth year on staff. Martin was most recently the associate head coach at Tennessee-Martin. Spoonhour (Charlie's son) was most recently head coach at Wabash Valley JC in Mt. Carmel, Ill., where he led the team to the junior college national championship with a record of 36-1 and was named the National Junior College Coach of the Year. Thomas was most recently with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

EARLY SIGNINGS

J.K. Edwards and James Peters have both signed a national letter of intent to enroll at UNLV and play basketball for the Runnin' Rebels beginning with the 2002-03 season. Both players will enroll at UNLV as juniors. Edwards, a 6-foot-8, 250-pound center from Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, averaged 12.8 points and 6.4 rebounds last season. He was selected as a first team All-America last year and played in the Tournament of the Americas in Argentina this past August (on the same team as current Runnin' Rebel Marcus Banks). Edwards chose UNLV over Wisconsin, Tennessee and Iowa State. Peters, a 6-8, 215-pound forward from Butler County (Kan.) Community College, averaged 14.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 59 percent from the floor last season. The second-team All-Jayhawk Conference selection chose UNLV over Illinois, Michigan State and DePaul.

44 YEARS OF BASKETBALL

The 2001-02 year marks the 44th season of Runnin' Rebel basketball at UNLV. Since the program's inception in 1958-59, the Runnin' Rebels have posted an all-time record of 923-359 (.720). In 1969-70, UNLV made the move to Division I and has since posted a record of 736-255 (.743) while competing at that level. In addition, UNLV has an all-time mark of 888-336 (.726) against Division I competition.

"THREE-POINT GOAL ..."

Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 494 games played. During that span, the Runnin' Rebels have made 3,235-of-8,951 (.361) shots from behind the arc. The Big West Conference experimented with the 3-point shot in the 1982-83, 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons. During that period, UNLV connected from 3-point range in 53 of the 64 games (the 3-pointer was used in some non-conference games). The Runnin' Rebels sank 194-of-505 (.384) 3-point attempts during that time. The UNLV streak for games in which it sank at least one 3-point shot stands at 511. The last time the Runnin' Rebels failed to make at least one 3-pointer came against Long Beach State on Jan. 25, 1986. So, UNLV has sunk at least one shot from behind the arch in 547 of the 558 games in which the rule was used. In the 558 total games, the Runnin' Rebels have shot .363 from this distance while sinking 3,430-of-9,456 attempts. UNLV holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games scoring a 3-point field goal. Prior to the beginning of the 2001-02 season, Vanderbilt was No. 2 on the list, three behind UNLV.

NOTEWORTHY NOEL

For the first time, the UNLV men's basketball team has one of its players writing a weekly diary for UNLV's website UNLVRebels.com. Noel Bloom will write an entry each week and it will be posted at http://unlvrebels.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/noel-diary-index.html. Just go to the men's basketball page at UNLVRebels.com and click on the Noteworthy Noel graphic on the right-hand side of the page. This feature on the web gives fans a look inside the team from a different perspective. Previous entries are archived for later viewing.

RUNNIN' REBELS ON THE AIR

All Runnin' Rebel games are carried live on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and on the internet at UNLVRebels.com. Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick are in their 10th season calling Runnin' Rebel basketball. Broadcasts will start one-half hour prior to the beginning of each game with the pregame show and the postgame show will feature a live interview with head coach Charlie Spoonhour followed by fan call-ins. The broadcasts are also available inside the Thomas & Mack Center by tuning to 99.5 FM. The fan call-in number is (702) 876-8585.

UNLV SPORTS NETWORK

For the first time Runnin' Rebel games are being heard on a regional network of stations. ESPN Regional at UNLV and Lotus Broadcasting have teamed up with PV Radio and KZBZ Radio to help create the first-ever UNLV Sports Network, a seven station grouping that will reach across the state and into parts of Arizona, California and Utah. The stations are in Las Vegas (Network Flagship - 920 AM), Pahrump, Nev. (95.9 FM), Amargosa Valley, Nev. (96.7 FM), Beatty, Nev. (93.5 FM), Scotty's Junction, Nev. (94.3 FM), Death Valley, Calif. (91.1 FM) and Pioche, Nev. (98.9 FM - Lincoln County and most of Southern Utah).

COACH'S SHOWS

"Game Time with UNLV Hoops" television show is shown Sundays at 9:00 p.m. on Las Vegas One (cable channels 1 and 39) and on KLAS TV-8 at 11:30 p.m. The show is hosted by Chris Maathuis and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour.

"The Charlie Spoonhour Radio Show" may be heard live Tuesdays from the ESPN Zone at New York-New York Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The show airs from 7-8 p.m. on KBAD 920 AM (ESPN Radio) in Las Vegas and may be heard on the internet at UNLVRebels.com on an archived basis. It is hosted by Ken Korach and Glen Gondrezick and features head coach Charlie Spoonhour.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual game balcony tickets are priced at $15 and $12. Individual game seats on the plaza level for men's basketball will go on sale only 24 hours prior to each game. Those tickets are $25. Also on sale are Family Four Packs, which include 4 balcony level tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 popcorns, and 4 sodas, all for $56. Family Four Packs are only available for purchase at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office. Individual game tickets may be purchased at the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office, at all Tickets.com locations, by calling Tickets.com at (888) 464-2468, and by logging onto UNLVRebels.com. For more ticket information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.

LUNCHEONS

UNLV Sports Marketing luncheons featuring Charlie Spoonhour will be held at the Si Redd Room at the Thomas & Mack Center. The remaining luncheons are scheduled for Feb. 14 and March 5. Luncheons begin at noon and are $10 for the public. Media interested in attending should RSVP to Andy Grossman. For more information, please call (702) 895-UNLV.

REBELS ON TV

UNLV is scheduled to appear on television at least 18 times this season. The Runnin' Rebels are scheduled to appear on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+plus, ABC, SportsWest and ESPN Regional at UNLV.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT

The 2001-02 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championship will be played Thursday-Saturday, March 7-9, at the Thomas & Mack Center. All eight teams will compete in the tournament with the champion receiving the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the third year that the MWC Tournament will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and the sixth straight year a conference tournament will be played at the TMC (The WAC held its championship at the TMC from 1997-99).

MEDIA TEAMLINK AND INFO CONNECTION

UNLV's release, statistics and latest box score are all available on the internet through www.mediateamlink.com. Media members may view documents on the internet or have the information e-mailed to them the moment it is updated. The service is free to all accredited members of the media. The same information is available on Info Connection and may be obtained by calling (770) 558-6000 from a fax machine. Media members without a PIN should call (770) 399-0096 to obtain one. The MWC's passcode is 692#. The Runnin' Rebel release code is 1906, the stats code is 1908 and the previous game box code is 1909.